July 4th draws near – the day Americans declare independence from somebody. Might as well be aliens! The followup to much loved 1996 Will Smith blockbuster Independence Day: Resurgence has no Will Smith and busts no blocks. The real hero in this one is Bill Pullman’s face.

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Indeed Mr. Pullman is best part of the show. His President Whitmore, whose rousing battle speech left American eyes misty in the original, is now a crazy person with a Civil War beard. When Whitmore pulls it together to join the fight, the beard comes off and his face flies free. Just like him.

All that being said, it’s hard to argue that Pullman, or even other returning cast like Jeff Goldblum and Vivica A. Fox made much of an impact. Vivica Fox’s character in particular is dismissed early on, despite a promising beginning – she had ditched her stripper duds for doctor scrubs. No mention of beloved dog, Boomer, from the old movie. Thanks a lot, Roland Emmerich…

Goldblum reads inauthentic, especially in early scenes. It feels like he didn’t want to be there or couldn’t remember the character, and while it is possible to wring out a few laughs from his dry line readings, overall his acting was of the Shatner variety.

Supporting cast are very attractive but don’t have a ton of personality. Hemsworth the Younger hilariously yells and unloads his gun at least twice. Maika Monroe, last seen as the protagonist in indie horror hit, IT FOLLOWS, is difficult to buy as a fighter pilot/soldier/Pullman heir.

There’s a beautiful love story between the two scientists from the original movie – while Brent Spiner’s character was in a coma for 20 years, his assistant cared for him so sweetly. Orchids and Aliens is the name of a fanfic I’m writing about them, so stay tuned.